Stories by Alexandra Silets

Eli Finkel studies relationships and marriage, and in his new book “The All-or-Nothing Marriage: How the Best Marriages Work,” he argues the best marriages of today are the best the world has ever known.

Cryptic comments, contradictory statements and tweets: President Donald Trump’s foreign policy approach has some members of his own party on edge.

Considered one of the founding fathers of behavioral economics, a field that bridges the gap between economics and psychology, Richard Thaler is known for illustrating how human behavior often contradicts traditional economic logic.

The suburban lawmaker is considering getting in the race, citing her frustration with the governor's signing of HB40.

With mental illness affecting 1 in 5 people, Chicagoan Veronica Padilla hopes addressing the topic in a playful manner will make it more accessible. “Humor can be very therapeutic. Humor has gotten me out of so many binds in my life when things got heavy,” she said.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel says city residents will have respite from the tax and fee increases that have socked them in recent years.

Mayor Emanuel says the city is safe for this weekend’s Chicago Marathon. A moment of truth for looms for the Cook County soda tax. All eyes are on the Cubs, and Mitch Trubisky makes his NFL debut Monday night.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel says the Chicago Police Department’s murder clearance rate is “unacceptable,” as are details out this week describing an “abuse of culture” surrounding police overtime pay. Watch the interview.

Watch the Oct. 5, 2017 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

A web series that debuted in February has already been picked up by HBO. Made in Chicago, it highlights the friendships between young women of color. We talk with the award-winning poet who co-created the series, and an actor from the show.

The Cook County board president used her annual budget address Thursday to warn commissioners and the public that repealing a tax on sugary drinks will take the county down a path of “fiscal uncertainty” that will result in layoffs and cutting “essential services.”

Stephen Paddock, the gunman who opened fire on thousands of concertgoers in Las Vegas late Sunday night, had booked two rooms in Chicago overlooking Grant Park in August, during Lollapalooza, according to a report from TMZ.

The University of Illinois at Chicago, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the University of Chicago Medicine will join forces to conduct clinical trials designed to improve outcomes for patients with life-threatening emergencies as part of a newly formed national network. 

We preview the start of the Cubs’ playoff run with sports reporter Cheryl Raye Stout.

Food trucks, vintage VHS, marathon runners and South Side films usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in Chicago.

The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups are suing the city and the Police Department so they can be part of reform talks. The suit alleges that brutality “is magnified for people with disabilities.”

Watch the Oct. 4, 2017 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."

Geoffrey Baer explores an eccentric architect’s wacky proposal for the World’s Fair in this encore edition of Ask Geoffrey.

The Nobel Prize committee called it “a discovery that shook the world.” A local scientist explains gravitational waves.

“Blockbuster” and “epic” are the words being used to describe the cases on the U.S. Supreme Court docket this term. We discuss the key cases.

In one of Cook County Jail’s maximum security units, some detainees are given access to pens for the towering task of writing their memoirs. How these men are earning a new label: authors.

A new book by a Chicago community activist and mentor explains how cities can become safer and more equitable, and why we all have a stake in our neighborhoods. 

It looks like an art project, but a seven-floor structure at Lincoln Park Zoo is outfitted with logs, bricks, sticks and other materials to provide cozy spaces for insects to nest.

Is there a connection between losing the ability to smell and a greater risk of dementia? A co-author of a new University of Chicago study says it “may be an important early sign.” 

A new charge against 28-year-old suspect Brendt Christensen opens up the possibility of the death penalty for the Champaign man charged in the disappearance and murder of a Chinese student.

Tommy Shimoda, 24, won gold and bronze medals in speed skating at the Special Olympics World Winter Games this year in Austria. This week, he was inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame, becoming the first Special Olympics athlete to receive the honor.